Oct 10, 2017   SOURCE: PR NewsWire

SEED Coalition: Tele-Conference - Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2017

What: Congress may soon be playing radioactive roulette with Texas and New Mexico. County Commissioners and concerned citizens urge House Members to oppose H.R. 3053, Shimkus' Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 2017. The bill would eliminate a major hurdle for companies proposing to store deadly, cancer-causing high-level radioactive waste at consolidated interim storage sites in the two states. Over 10,000 dangerous unnecessary shipments could result, creating risks across the country from radioactive accidents, leaks or terrorism.

When: Wednesday, October 11(th) at 10 am CDT Call-in number: 605-472-5814; 938-80-4254 #

Who: Dr. Theresa Daniel, Dallas County Commissioner, Texas
Tommy Calvert, Bexar County Commissioner, Texas
Rose Gardner, Alliance for Environmental Strategies, Eunice, New Mexico resident
Elizabeth Padilla, Protecting Andrews, Andrews, Texas resident
Leona Morgan, Dine No Nukes, New Mexico resident
Tom "Smitty" Smith, Senior Advocate for Public Citizen's Texas Office
Karen Hadden, Sustainable Energy & Economic Development (SEED) Coalition, Texas

Contact: Tom "Smitty" Smith, 512-797-8468 

    --  Passage of this bill could lead to unprecedented massive transport of
        nuclear waste. Over 10,000 train shipments of high-level radioactive
        waste could go to these sites, over 24 years. Spent nuclear fuel from
        reactors around the country could travel through cities including
        Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Ft. Worth, Lubbock, Corpus Christi,
        Midland, Amarillo and El Paso, Albuquerque, Santa Fe and other cities
        across the country.
    --  Radioactive waste moving through major cites could be targeted by
        terrorists. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality warned that
        "consequences due to sabotage or accidents are also higher during
        transport since the waste may be near population centers."
    --  In analysis for Yucca Mountain, DOE expected at least one train accident
        if transport of high-level radioactive waste was mainly by train.
    --  DOE found that a severe accident involving one radioactive waste cask
        releasing a small amount of radiation could contaminate a 42-square mile
        area, with remediation costs up to $9.5 billion to raze and rebuild the
        most heavily contaminated square mile in an urban area.
    --  The waste might never be moved to a permanent repository, creating
        de-facto permanent dumps and potential unimaginable disasters.
    --  After studying this issue, four Texas counties passed resolutions
        opposing high-level radioactive waste transport through their
        communities. House Members should amend H.R. 3053 to require designation
        of the least risky transportation routes before a consolidated interim
        storage site can be licensed.

Release - online Oct. 11(th) at http://www.NoNuclearWasteAqui.org

/PRNewswire -- Oct. 10, 2017/

SOURCE SEED Coalition